Alcohol content is for readers of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.
Whisky व्हिस्की 11
Scotch Single Malt Whisky
Made from 100% malted barley at a single distillery, distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least three years in oak. Islay malts are smoky from peat; Speyside malts are fruity and honeyed.
Blended Scotch Whisky
A blend of many malt and grain whiskies from different distilleries. Smoother and lighter than most single malts; the bulk of Scotch sold worldwide is blended.
Irish Whiskey
Usually triple distilled, which gives a light, smooth, slightly fruity spirit. 'Single pot still' Irish whiskey mixes malted and unmalted barley, a style unique to Ireland.
Bourbon
American whiskey made from a mash of at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak barrels, which gives vanilla, caramel and toffee notes. Most comes from Kentucky.
Tennessee Whiskey
Made like bourbon but filtered through sugar-maple charcoal before ageing (the Lincoln County Process), which softens it.
Rye Whiskey
Spicier and drier than bourbon because rye grain gives peppery, herbal notes. The classic base of the Manhattan and the Sazerac.
Canadian Whisky
Often called 'rye' in Canada, usually a smooth, light blend of grain whiskies aged at least three years.
Japanese Whisky
Modelled on Scotch but known for precision, balance and delicate flavours; often aged in Japanese mizunara oak, which adds sandalwood and incense notes.
Indian Single Malt Whisky
India's hot climate makes whisky mature much faster than in Scotland, so young Indian malts taste rich and rounded. Indian single malts now win international awards.
Indian Whisky (Molasses-based)
Most whisky sold in India is distilled from molasses and blended with a little malt whisky. In Europe it would legally be called a spirit drink rather than whisky.
Taiwanese Whisky
Like India, Taiwan's heat speeds up ageing; Taiwanese single malts are known for tropical fruit flavours.
Brandy ब्रांडी 11
Cognac
Grape brandy from the Cognac region, double distilled in copper pot stills and aged in French oak. Grades: VS (2+ years), VSOP (4+), XO (10+).
Armagnac
France's older brandy, usually distilled once in a column still, giving a more rustic, full-flavoured spirit than Cognac.
Calvados
Apple brandy from Normandy, distilled from cider and aged in oak.
Pisco
Unaged grape brandy. Peru and Chile both claim it; Peruvian pisco is distilled once to proof with no water added.
Grappa
A spirit distilled from what is left after pressing grapes for wine. Clear and fiery when young; smoother when aged.
Rakia
The fruit brandy of the Balkans, often homemade. Šljivovica (plum rakia) is the best known.
Pálinka
Hungarian fruit brandy, protected by law: it must be made only from fruit grown in Hungary.
Kirsch
Clear cherry brandy with a light almond note from the cherry stones. Used in Black Forest gâteau and cheese fondue.
Indian Brandy
Brandy is the best-selling spirit category in South India. Most is molasses-based with added grape spirit and flavouring.
Singani
Bolivia's national spirit, a fragrant grape brandy distilled in the high Andes.
Chacha
Georgia's strong grape spirit, similar to grappa, often homemade and offered to guests.
Rum रम 9
White Rum
Light, clean rum, aged briefly and filtered to remove colour. The base of the Mojito and Daiquiri.
Dark Rum
Rum aged longer in charred barrels, sometimes with caramel added, giving molasses, toffee and spice flavours. Jamaican rum is famous for its funky, fruity 'hogo'.
Indian Dark Rum
India is one of the world's largest rum markets. Indian dark rums are sweet, vanilla-led and often aged several years; rum with hot water is a classic hill-station winter drink.
Spiced Rum
Rum flavoured with spices and usually sweetened.
Rhum Agricole
Made from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice rather than molasses, giving grassy, vegetal flavours. Martinique's rhum agricole has its own AOC.
Cachaça
Brazil's national spirit, distilled from fermented sugarcane juice. Unaged cachaça is grassy; aged versions are rested in native Brazilian woods.
Overproof Rum
Rum bottled at very high strength, mainly for mixing and tiki drinks. Handle with care.
Arrack (Sri Lankan)
Distilled from the fermented sap of coconut flowers, aged in local halmilla wood. Sri Lanka's national spirit.
Batavia Arrack
A rum-like spirit from Java made with a red-rice starter, prized in historical punch recipes.
Vodka वोडका 4
Vodka
A neutral spirit distilled to high purity and filtered, so it has little flavour of its own. Both Russia and Poland claim to have invented it.
Polish Vodka
Poland protects 'Polish vodka' by law: it must be made from Polish rye, wheat, barley, oats, triticale or potatoes.
Bison Grass Vodka (Żubrówka)
Vodka flavoured with a blade of bison grass from the Białowieża forest, giving a vanilla, hay-like aroma.
Horilka
Ukrainian vodka, sometimes flavoured with honey and chilli pepper (z pertsem).
Gin जिन 5
London Dry Gin
The classic dry gin style: juniper-forward, with coriander, citrus peel and angelica. 'London Dry' is a method (no flavour added after distillation), not a location.
Plymouth Gin
A softer, earthier gin style from Plymouth, the historic gin of the Royal Navy.
Old Tom Gin
A lightly sweetened 18th-century style, between Genever and London Dry; the original gin of the Tom Collins.
Genever (Jenever)
The Dutch ancestor of gin, made with a malty grain base, so it tastes a bit like a light whisky with juniper.
Indian Craft Gin
A fast-growing category, many made in Goa, using botanicals like Darjeeling tea, Goan cashew, tulsi, kokum and mango.
Tequila & Agave टकीला 7
Tequila Blanco
Unaged or rested under two months; tastes of cooked agave, pepper and citrus. Tequila can only come from Jalisco and parts of four other Mexican states.
Tequila Reposado
'Rested' 2 to 12 months in oak, adding vanilla and caramel softness.
Tequila Añejo
Aged 1 to 3 years in oak; rich and smooth, made for sipping. 'Extra añejo' is aged 3+ years.
Mezcal
Agave spirit whose hearts are roasted in underground pits, which gives it a smoky flavour. Tequila is technically a type of mezcal.
Raicilla
A rustic agave spirit from Jalisco's mountains and coast, fruity and earthy.
Sotol
Made not from agave but from the desert spoon plant; grassy, mineral and herbal.
Bacanora
A mezcal-style agave spirit protected to the state of Sonora.
Asian Spirits एशियाई स्पिरिट्स 9
Baijiu
The world's most-consumed spirit by volume. Fermented in pits with a grain starter (qu), giving powerful aromas: 'strong aroma', 'sauce aroma', 'light aroma' and 'rice aroma' styles.
Soju
Korea's everyday spirit. Modern green-bottle soju is diluted and slightly sweet; traditional distilled soju from Andong is much stronger.
Shochu
Japan's distilled spirit, usually distilled once so it keeps the flavour of its base: earthy sweet potato (imo), nutty barley (mugi), or clean rice (kome).
Awamori
Okinawa's spirit, made with Thai indica rice and black koji mould; aged versions (kusu) mellow for years in clay pots.
Lao Lao
Laos' rice spirit, often homemade and shared at celebrations.
Feni
Goa's heritage spirit with a GI tag. Cashew feni is distilled from the fermented juice of the cashew apple and has a strong, fruity, funky aroma. Urrak is its lighter first distillate.
Mahua
A traditional Adivasi spirit distilled from the sweet flowers of the mahua tree, with deep cultural roots in central India. Now also made legally as a heritage spirit.
Tharra / Country Liquor
Cheap, government-licensed 'desi daru' sold in rural India. Illicit hooch (unlicensed) can contain methanol and is dangerous; only buy licensed liquor.
Arak / Arrak (Indian Toddy Arrack)
Spirit distilled from palm toddy, once common across South India.
Anise & Herbal Spirits सौंफ़ वाली स्पिरिट्स 9
Ouzo
Greece's anise spirit. Adding water turns it cloudy white (the 'louche effect').
Rakı
Turkey's 'lion's milk', distilled twice with aniseed. Drunk slowly through a long meal of meze and fish.
Arak
The Levant's anise spirit, distilled from grapes, often three times, and aged in clay jars.
Pastis
The aperitif of the French south, created after absinthe was banned.
Absinthe
The 'green fairy': a strong herbal spirit banned in many countries in the early 1900s and legal again since the 1990s. Its supposed hallucinogenic effect was a myth.
Sambuca
Sweet Italian anise liqueur.
Aquavit (Akvavit)
Scandinavia's caraway-flavoured spirit. Norwegian Linie aquavit is aged in casks that cross the equator by ship.
Schnapps (Obstler)
In German-speaking countries, Schnaps means a clear fruit brandy. Sweet 'peach schnapps' is an American liqueur, a different thing.
Tsipouro
Greek pomace spirit, with or without anise.
Liqueurs & Bitters लिकर 18
Campari
A bright red bitter aperitivo, made to a secret recipe since 1860.
Aperol
A lighter, sweeter, orange-coloured cousin of Campari.
Sweet Vermouth
Red, sweet, herbal fortified wine created in Turin. Keep it in the fridge once opened.
Dry Vermouth
Pale, dry and herbal; the French style.
Orange Liqueur (Triple Sec)
Clear orange liqueur. Cointreau is the best-known triple sec; Grand Marnier blends orange with Cognac; Curaçao comes from the Dutch Caribbean.
Amaretto
Sweet almond-flavoured liqueur.
Coffee Liqueur
Sweet coffee liqueur; Kahlúa from Mexico is the best known.
Irish Cream
A creamy liqueur of Irish whiskey and dairy cream, created in 1974.
Chartreuse
Made by Carthusian monks to a recipe dating from 1605; only two monks know the full recipe.
Bénédictine
An herbal liqueur with honey sweetness.
Jägermeister
A dark, sweet-bitter German herbal liqueur.
Fernet
An intensely bitter Italian amaro. In Argentina, Fernet con Coca is practically the national drink.
Amaro
A family of bittersweet Italian herbal liqueurs drunk after dinner to help digestion. Each region has its own.
Limoncello
Sweet lemon liqueur from southern Italy made by steeping lemon peel in alcohol.
Angostura Bitters
Concentrated aromatic bitters used a few dashes at a time, like salt and pepper for cocktails.
Drambuie
A honeyed Scotch whisky liqueur.
Maraschino Liqueur
Clear, dry cherry liqueur with a nutty, floral taste.
Crème de Cassis
Sweet blackcurrant liqueur.